It’s 9/11. Remember who attacked us. And who let it happen. And who made money from the attacks.

Today is September 11th, and in order to truly honor the memory of those who died at the hands of those terrorist goat-f***ers in Al-Quaida, this writer will forego the usual platitudes, and instead point a big finger at the “Republicans” who sat back and let it happen; and then used those thousands of deaths to further their political ends whilst padding their offshore bank accounts. Think that is inappropriate, nasty, partisan, or lese-majeste? Gentle Reader, you ain’t heard nothing yet.

The 9/11 Commission report said that the Bushistas ignored the threat until after the attacks had occurred. And then, of course, they used the deaths of our fellow citizens to launch a phony war in Iraq and make themselves multi- millionaires. It’s all public record, click the links if you don’t believe it.

In stark contrast to the incompetence, malfeasance, and obfuscation of the “Republicans” stands President Obama. People told him about an imminent terrorist threat, and he quickly got started kicking their mass-murdering asses. And he told the country exactly what he was gonna do: bomb, shoot, and generally kill all of the Shaitan-worshipping thugs in ISIS. That, friends, is how you respond to an attack. Openly, firmly, and honestly.

There are still fools around the world who think the Prexy is weak, indecisive, or naive. To those idiots, we present four words:
Osama
Bin
Laden’s
Dead.
He died because Obama had the smarts and the testicular fortitude to pursue the mutt and kill his ass. The Bushies didn’t care enough to catch the motherf***er, which helped Al-Quaida grow stronger and prosper by showing the world that America would not punish those who attack us. But the Dems in the White House DID care, justice WAS rendered, and today Al-Quaida is a shattered remnant of the jihadi collossus it once was. Punishing criminals works a lot better than rewarding them.

We can best honor the victims of crimes by rendering justice on the criminals, and preventing future crimes. To the first point, not all of the criminals of 9/11 have been brought to justice yet, but Obama has made a good start. And to the second, he is doing things differently than his predecessor, thus helping to prevent a recurrence of 9/11.

Not to say that Obama’s actions are without risk. They carry enormous potential for blowback and unintended consequences. But doing nothing failed in 2001, and failed earlier this year as well. Terrorists will commit acts of terror whether men of good will do nothing, or do something. It’s what terrorists do. At least killing them, taking their money, and destroying their assets slows them down. (Again, see what has happened to Al-Quaida since PBO took office.)

The Bushies have the blood of innocents on their hands and in their wallets. Never forget, Gentle Reader. Because if we forget, it’ll happen again. Good luck to President Obama and all the brave people who fight for us every day. And bad cess to those who attack us, abandon us, and use tragedy to manipulate us.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Reality, 2: Libertarianism, 0

In reality, Libertarianism NEVER works, because it is an overly simplistic theology, based on the erroneous assumption that we all have completely free choices at all times, free of any constraints. The ideas sometimes sound reasonable, but always fall apart when subjected to even the most cursory of examinations. Two examples today, since we haven’t time to write about them all:

Number A: cell phone usage on airplanes, currently not allowed. The policy is under review and in a public comments period (go here to weigh in with your opinion). A discussion erupted yesterday between those who are for and against, because, hey, Americans argue. The pro-loud-cellphone-user-everywhere Libertarians said, in brief, “tough s***, don’t fly. My right to dominate the space around me by bellowing into my Shoephone outweighs your right to sleep, concentrate, work, etc. ” When reasonable, rational adults attempted to point out that not everyone can just choose not to fly, the Libertarians kept saying “you chose this job, this family, this location to live, so AMFYOYO. Make different choices. Government should not be allowed to control my behavior.”

Letter 2: Libertarians think that men should not have to pay child support , since men have “no right to make reproductive choices”. This bit of twaddle is an offshoot of the “men’s rights” movement, which Libertarians love. They are demanding the ability to choose to default on their obligations because they assume that the women they impregnate have the free choice to raise or not raise the baby, get an abortion or not, etcetera. The idea that these are easy choices available to every woman, everywhere, at all times is obvious nitwittery, of course, but Libertarians hold onto it nonetheless. (They also ignore the fact that men DO have the right to make choices: we can wear condoms, get our tubes tied, or just not f*** with someone who can get pregnant.)

These are but two examples of the obvious bankruptcy of Libertarian theology (you can claim it’s not a religion, but is sure as Hell acts like one). There are many others, like certain Bitcoin adherents, regulatory opposition, preeves who want to be able to marry their daughters and so on. Their argument is always “freedom” and is predicated on the idea that we all have unlimited freedom of choice because we have no limitations placed upon us by external factors. That assumption is, of course, composed of very high-grade fertilizer (anyone here ever take Econ 101? Big takeaway: “resources are scarce”) and like all concentrated fertilizer, it blows up when subjected to pressure.

Real life for real people is fraught with resource scarcity and limited choices. That is why businesses exist, governments exist, houses and clothing exist, medicine exists, and so on. Hell, it’s why cellphones exist, ferchrissakes. We do not live in an ideal world, and our solutions to the imperfections that surround us are likewise imperfect and full of restrictions. That, Gentle Reader, is what we in the Reality-Based Community call “Life”. Real Life.

Libertarians can try all they want to make reality fit into their ideology, but they will fail; just like the Flat-Earthers, Birthers, Truthers, and Science Deniers. Reality will always win in the end, no matter how hard you fight against it.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Of Unicorns and Men

Mister Blunt and Cranky will be offline for a day or three, as he must have his ticker roto-rootered. So here is an early Friday post for you all, and perhaps a chuckle into the bargain:

http://blog.sfgate.com/richmond/2012/05/31/the-unicorn-from-ulandia-shocking-facts-about-mitt-romney/

There is a group of wits who have decided to parody the “birther” morons. Calling themselves “unicorners”, they demand an investigation into Mitt Romney’s birth certificate, insisting that he is actually a unicorn from a fantasy world.

In this current, oh-so-very-serious political climate, it is good to have a laugh now and again. Back to radical centrism Monday.

Mr. B & C